China claims that military flights are an answer to US Taiwan ‘collusion’
China claims that Taiwan’s increasing number of warplanes is due to its “military collaboration” with the U.S. This sheds light on the motives behind the threatening activity.
“The People’s Liberation Army drills are a solemn caution against Taipei’s increased provocation, which damaged peace, stability, and the Taiwan Strait,” Ma Xiaoguang said Wednesday, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office.
“Democratic Progressive Party authorities recently intensified military collaboration with the US,” Ma said, referring specifically to Taiwanese President TsaiIng-Wen’s ruling party. Ma answered a question about “collusion”, saying that the facts were clear and that all people on Earth are aware of it.
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This was a reference to the U.S. lawmakers agreeing last month to a spending bill that included $2B in weapons funding for Taiwan next fiscal year and up to $10 billion through 2027.
Beijing’s Defense Ministry had previously criticized the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act. They claimed it exaggerated the threat posed by China and interfered with the country’s internal affairs.
The PLA held its largest drills since August, when it was following the exercise after Nancy Pelosi, then-Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, visited Taiwan. On Dec. 25-26, the Chinese military sent 71 planes toward Taiwan. 47 of these aircraft made incursions into the island’s air-defense zone.
China says military flights are a response to U.S.-Taiwan ‘collusion’ https://t.co/dlxd9QX6Cn
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While the Biden administration called the flights “provocative”, it insisted that it would continue to support Taipei’s defense. The National Security Council stated that the Chinese military activity is “destabilizing,” could lead to miscalculations and threatens regional stability and peace.
This episode shows that although relations between Beijing and Washington have improved after Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with President Joe Biden at the Group of 20 meeting in Indonesia in November 2018, the Taiwan issue continues to be a source of tension. Nearly twice the number of Chinese warplanes that made incursions in Taiwan last year than in 2021, 1,700 Chinese warplanes.
Ma criticized Wednesday’s briefing of a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies about a “wargame”. It found that a hypothetical Chinese invasion in Taiwan “quickly found” but incurred high costs to the island and the U.S Navy.
Ma stated that “think tanks” from the U.S. often publish reports under the pretense of academic research. This hypes up the China threat. They want to reap the benefits of their military-industrial units at home while sowing discord among people all across the strait.
China was also “opposed to” the four days of trade negotiations that Taiwan and the U.S. will hold in Taipei beginning Saturday.
This meeting is part of the U.S. – Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade, which was established last June to achieve agreement in areas such as trade facilitation. In November, officials held “conceptual talks” in New York.
